Silo-door frame.



A. D. MILLER.

SILO DOOR FRAME.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.3. i916.

I II 9'?, l 43 v Patented Sept. 5, 1916.

SHEETS-SHEET I.

mr nomas verras comnominuo wAsmNcruN. o c

A. D. MILLER'.

'slLo noon FRAME. lcATloN msn IAN. a, 191

Patented Sept. 5,1916.

3 SHEETS SHEETl 2.

A. D. MILLER.

SILO DOORvFRAIVIE. APPLICATION FILED IANA, 1916.

Patented Sept. 5, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

ALBERT D. MILLER, 0F GOSI-IEN, INDIANA.

SILO-DOOR FRAME.

mamie.

Application filed January 3, 1916.

To all whom t 'may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT D. MILLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Goshen, in the county of Elkhart and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Silo-Door Frames; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in door frames and more particularly to the door frames of silos.

The object of the invention is to so construct a silo door frame that the door will be held in uid-tight contact therewith without necessitating employing a packing between the door and its frame.

Another object is to provide a frame of this character which will be strong in construction, cheap to manufacture, and elficient in operation, and which may be applied to a silo composed either of cement or of wooden staves.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, and the combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more particularly described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure l represents al front elevation of a silo showing this improved door frame applied there* to with the doors employed in connection therewith in closed position; Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the door frame on an en* larged scale, with parts broken out; Fig. 3 is a rear elevation with the doors shown in operative position in dotted lines; Fig. 4 is a longitudinal vertical section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. l; Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail horizontal section, taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a similar view taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 4; Fig. 7 is a detail perspective view of one of the doors.

The silo to which the improved door frame constituting this invention is applied is shown constructed in the usual manner by forming the main circular body portion of a plurality of staves S which are matched; that is, tongued and grooved together as shown at s in Fig. 5. It is of course understood that these staves are matched throughout their entire length as is well known to those skilled in the art.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 5, 4946.

Serial No. 69,965.

To hold the structure rigidly in desired position, a plurality of hoops or bands I-I are provided arranged at suitable intervals apart and which span the door opening in the silo extending longitudinally of the spreader or cross bars of the door frame as shown in Fig. l, and which will be hereinafter more fully described. This silo is shown provided with a door opening O which may be of any suitable or desired width and which extends through the length or height of the silo from the base B thereof to the top. This door opening O is provided with a frame which constitutes this invention and comprises two channel irons l and 2 arranged at opposite sides of t-he opening O and extending longitudinally throughout the length thereof with the flanges 3 thereof extending outwardly or away from the door opening and adapted to receive between them the staves S of the silo body, said flanges being positioned laterally apart a distance corresponding to the thickness of said staves as is shown clearly in Figs. 5 and 6, and which may be secured thereto in any suitable mann-er.

The channel bars l and 2 which extend throughout the length of the door opening O on opposite sides thereof, are connected at intervals throughout their length by a plurality of cross bars 4. These cross bars 4 are also constructed of channel irons or bars and have the flanges 5 thereof extended rearwardly in planes at right angles to the flanges of the side bars 1 and 2 with the edges of said flanges 5 projecting beyond the inner faces of the flanges 3 which are disposed inside the silo for a purpose to be described.

rllhe side bars l and 2 are provided on their inner faces with reinforcing bars 6 which are secured to the intermediate parts of the channel irons I and 2 in any suitable` manner, being preferably bolted or riveted thereto. These reinforcing bars 6 have their inner edges projecting beyond the inner faces of the inner flanges 3 of the bars l and 2 to form projecting lips 7 at opposite sides of the door frame, the outer edges of which extend flush with the projecting edges of the fianges 5 of the spreader bars 4, the ends of said spreader bar flanges abutting against the inner faces of the reinforcing bars 6 and thus forming a continuous lip around the inner face of the door frame lli) on which the door D is designed to be seated, as will be hereinafter more fully described. Y

rllhe spreader or cross bars d are here shown connected with the side bars 1 and 2 byY means of angle irons 8 which are of a length corresponding to the width of the spreader bars and are secured to the outer faces thereof by bolts which pass through the intermediate member Llf of the spreader bars and through one flange of the angle irons 8, the other flange thereof being arranged adjacent to and in contact with the reinforcing bars 6 and are secured thereto by bolting or otherwise. The spreader or cross bars t are of a length corresponding to the distance between the reinforcing bars 6, and when arranged in operative position, have their ends in abutting relation to said bars forming a close joint in connection therewith, so that when united thereto in the manner above described, the projecting edges of the llanges of said spreader bars will form in connection with the projecting edges of the reinforcing bars, a door seat spaced from the outer faces of the inner yflanges 3 of the side bars 1 and 2, said seat being designed to have a biting engagement with the door D when in operative engagement therewith.

The spreader bars 4 are of sullicient width to provide for the overlapping` engagement of the ends of two adjacent doors D so that when the doors are assembled in the position shown in Fig. 1, the upper edge of one door will be arranged in abutting engagement with the lower edge of the door above it, thus forming substantially a continuous door opening closure throughout the length or height of the silo.

It is of course understood that the members ofthe door frame constructed as above described, are composed of metal and the rearwardly or inwardly extending lip formed around the inner face thereof is designed to have a biting engagement with the outer face of the door D which is composed of wood. Y

Any desired number of these doors D mayjbe employed according to the height of the silo and the distance the spreader bars are spaced apart, it being understood that a single door is designed to lill the space between two adjacent spreader bars and between the side bars 1 and 2. Each of the doors herein shown is composed of a plurality of transversely arranged wooden boards 9 of a length slightly less than the distance between the free edges of the opposed side bars 1 and 2, so that when said door is placed in operative position, the flanges 'of said side bars will extend beyond the side edges of the door, said edges being formed 0n the ends of the boards 9. These boards 9 are preferably connected by longitudinally extending cleats 10, two of which are here shown and which are of a length corresponding to the distance between the opposed edges of two of the spreader bars 41 and which are secured to the outer face of the boards 9 constituting the door D and are secured thereto by any suitable fastening means. These cleats 10 may be of any suitable or desired width and are disposed on the door a sullicient distance apart to arrange their outer edges a distance from each other equal to the distance between the reinforcing bars 6 of the door frame, so that when the door is in operative position, these cleats will fit in the space between the two spreader bars 4 with their outer edges engaging the inner faces of the reinforcing bars G, and the portion of the door which projects beyond the outer edges of said cleats, will rest on the projecting lip which extends around the inner face of the frame and is formed of the projecting edges of the reinforcing bars 6 and the llanges of the spreader bars l. (See Fig. 3). When force is exerted on said door to bring the projecting outer face thereof into forcible engagement with said lip, the lip will bite into the door and form a uid tight connection between them so that no air or moisture can enter into the silo around the edges of the door, and no packing is necessary t0 accomplish this result.

Each of the doors D is provided with a combined handle member and ladder rung 11 which is shown in the form of a heavy metal rod extending transversely across the door D and having its opposite ends flattened and apertured as shown at 12 to form attaching means for said rod, said apertured ends being offset laterally inward so as to space the body portion of the rod 11 outwardly from the door when applied, to adapt the device for use both as a handle and as a foot rest or ladder rung for an attendant when mounting the silo, such as is usual with devices of this character. One of these members 11 only is here shown mounted on each door D, but it is to be understood that any desired number may be employed according to the distance apart which it is desired to place them for convenient use.

Door securing and locking members 13 are here shown arranged adjacent opposite edges of each door D, two of said members being disposed on each edge and spaced apart any suitable or desired distance. Each of these members 13 is made in the form shown in Figs. 5 to 7 constituting a shank or attaching member 14: which is pivotally mounted on the door adjacent one edge thereof, and has an offset laterally extending finger 15 which is adapted to project over the outer edge of the adjacent side bar of the door frame. The lower face 16 of this finger has a cam-like engagement with the frame and operates to draw the door inward onto said seat when the finger 15 is swung over said side bar. This operation of the fastening or holding members 13 serves to draw the door D which is disposed inside the silo, tightly up against the lip 7 which extends around the inner face of the frame, whereby a biting engagement occurs between the wooden material of the door and the metal lip, thereby producing a fluid-tight joint between them.

From the above description, it is thought that the operation of this improved frame will be obvious without a more extended detailed description thereof, it being understood that when the doors D are in closed position as shown in Fig. 1 and it is desired to obtain access to the silo, the fastening elements 13 of the door which is to be opened and which is usually the top or uppermost door, are swung laterally on their pivots to disengage the cam fingers 15 thereof from the outer edges of the door frame and the door may then be pushed inwardly to open it.

While this improved frame has been described particularly for use as a silo door frame, it is obvious that the invention may be employed for other purposes such as for forming a water-tight support for irrigation head gates and the like.

I claim as my invention:

1. A silo door frame comprising laterally spaced side bars having longitudinally extending plates secured to their opposed faces with one edge of said plates projecting beyond the inner edges of said side bars, channel cross bars arranged between said side bars at longitudinally spaced intervals and secured at their ends thereto, forming a plurality of door openings, the flanges of said cross bars extending inwardly in the same direction as the inwardly extending edges of said plates with their free edges disposed in the same plane as the edges of the plates, the ends of the cross bar flanges abutting the adjacent faces of said plates to form continuous door seats adapted for biting airtight engagement with the faces of wooden doors forced thereagainst, the flanges of each cross bar being adapted for engage ment by the opposed ends of adjacent doors.

2. A silo door frame comprising laterally spaced upright channel bars with the flanges thereof extending outwardly, channel cross bars arranged between said upright bars at longitudinally spaced intervals and secured to the intermediate members of said upright bars adjacent their inner flanges, the flanges of said cross bars extending in directions at right angles to the direction of the flanges of the upright bars with the edges thereof projecting beyond the inner faces ofthe inner flanges of the upright bars, and a longitudinally disposed lip extending laterally from each of said upright bars adjacent the inner edge of its inner flange and in a direction at right angles to said flange, the free edges of said lips and of the flanges of said cross bars being disposed in the same plane with the ends of said cross bar flanges abutting the adjacent faces of said lips to form a continuous door seat.

3. The combination of a side wall having a door opening, channel bars arranged along the sides of said opening with the flanges thereof extending toward the side walls of the opening and adapted to engage with said side walls, reinforcing bars arranged on the opposed faces of the intermediate members of said side bars with their free edges projecting inwardly beyond the inner flanges of said side bars, a plurality of transversely arranged channel bars disposed at intervals between said side bars with the flanges of said transverse bars extending rearwardly and the ends thereof abutting the opposed faces of the reinforcing bars, the free edges of the flanges of said transverse bars being arranged flush with the projecting edges of the reinforcing bars to form a continuous seat around the opening formed by the transverse and longitudinal channel bars, angle irons connecting said transverse bars with said side bars, a door adapted to close the opening between two of said transverse bars and the side bars with which they are connected, said door having its ends and sides overlapping the end and side walls of said opening and provided on its outer face with cleats positioned to fit in said opening with the opposed ends thereof engaging the inner edges of the transverse channel bars and the outer side edges thereof engaging the opposed reinforcing bars mounted on said side bars, the portion of the door projecting beyond said cleats resting on the seat formed by the projecting edges of the reinforcing bars and the flanges of the transverse bars, and means for forcing said door into biting engagement with said seat and for holding it detachably engaged therewith.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALBERT D. MILLER.

Witnesses:

W. H. MAYBERRY, D. G. LEHMAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

i Washington, D. C. 

